Harness-oiling apparatus.



PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

y L. DARE.

HARNESS OILING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1902.

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UNITED ST TES PATENT QFFICE.

LEE DARE,

JOHN W. COLLINS, OF COLUMBIA CITY, INDIANA.

HARNESS-OILING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,679, dated April 21, 1903. Application filed July 28,1902. Serial No. 117,265. (No model.)

- the United States, residing at Columbia City,

' oil at the proper temperature,

in the county of Whitley, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness-OilingApparatus; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in harness-oiling apparatus.

It is well known that the usual manner of oiling harness is to first heat the oil to milkwarm temperature, place the harness when taken to pieces upon a table, counter, or work-bench, then rub the oil over the difierout parts of the harness with the hands or with a cloth, and then suspend the parts of the harness thus oiled in a suitable place to dry, permitting the drip therefrom to fall upon the floor. Obviously this method not only defiles more or less the clothing of the operator, the counter upon which the oiling is done, and'the fioor upon which the drip falls, but it requires an unprofitable expenditure of time and an inconvenient amount of room for the entire operation.

The object, therefore, of my present invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and efficient apparatus for oiling harness, in which are combined in a convenient and compact form a chambered tank in which the'oilin g is maintaining the and means for so suspending the harness when oiled that the drip therefrom will be conducted and discharged into the oil-chamber of the tank.

The principal novel features of my invention are the cooperative arrangement of the means for warming the oil with the means for suspending the harness for drying, and the chambered tank or receptacle in which the harness is oiled, and the construction of the tank-lid for conducting the drip to the oilchamber.

Similar reference-numerals in the accomdone, means for constantly panying drawings indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my invention, broken away in part to show the internal construction of the tank and to show the support for the lid when open and also having the upright harnessdrying rack partly broken away for want of room. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, showing the relative arrangement of theharness-rack and the adjustable lining of the tank-lid. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail and cross-section of the adjustable lining of the tank-lid, broken away in part, and the means for securing it in position.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, the tank 1, of any proper dimensions, preferably .thirty inches in length, twenty inches wide,

and twelve inches deep, is mounted upon proper supporting-legs 2, has a pendent metallic hood 3 fixed to the bottom thereof, and is adapted to containa lamp 4. The bottom 5 of the tank 1 is of suitable sheet metal. Within this tank 1 is arranged asecond or inner receptacle 6, preferably of sheet metal, which is loosely suspended therein by the impingement of its adjacent inner faces of the tank. This inner receptacle 6 has its sides tapering, as shown, and is of proper dimensions to leave a surrounding chamber 7, which in use is kept nearly full of water, which can be conveniently supplied thereto through a proper spout 8 upon one. end ofthe tank 1 and which discharges into said tank through a proper opening 9, leading from said spout into the chamber 7. A drain-cock 10 is provided at one end of the tank to drain ed the waterchamber 7 when desired. The tank 1 has a hinged or detached lid 11 opening outwardly from one end thereof and provided upon its inner face with a longitudinally-adjustable lining 12, of sheet metal, provided upon its sides and outer endwith a continuous upturned flange 13, whose inner ends are preferably beveled, as shown, to afford it a slight degree of flexibility. Upon the inner face of the lid 11 and at the opposite sides thereof are rigidly fixed a pair of metallic keepers 14, Fig. 3, in which the corresponding por upper edges against the 7 tions of the flange 13 are slidably mounted, whereby the metallic lining 12 can readily be adjusted into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for use, as hereinafter described, and when it is desired to close the lid this lining can be adjusted back to the position shown in dotted outline. At'one side of the tank 1 and at one end thereof is arranged an upright L-shaped rack consisting of the upright supporting-standards 15, 16, and 17. The standard 15 has its lower end rigidly fixed in any proper manner to the adjacent side of the tank 1 and near one end thereof and is rigidly connected at or near its upper end by the horizontal cross-pieces 18 and 19, having upon their inner face a series of hooks 20, from which the harness may be suspended for drying. The strength and rigidity of the standard 16 are further supplemented and secured by the horizontal braces 21 and the inclined braces 22, both of which have their inner ends rigidly fixed to the adjacent end of the tank 1 and havingtheir other ends secured to the parallel rods 23 and 24, respectively, whose opposite ends are rigidly fixed in the upright standard 17. This standard 17 is also rigidly connected to the adjacent end of thetank l by means of corresponding companion braces 21 and 22. The standards 16 and 17 obviously have their lower ends resting upon the floor, while their upper ends are rigidly connected by means of the parallel cross-pieces 25 and 26, having a series of hooks 27 and 28, upon which the harness when oiled may also be suspended.

One end ofthe pieces 18 and 19 are rigidly fixed to the standard 15 by means of the studs 29 and 30, respectively, and their other ends are correspondingly mounted on the pieces 25 and 26, whereby the hooks 2O securely overhang the adjustable lining 12 of the lid 11 when open and in position for use. The cross-pieces 25 and 26 are also arranged to overhang the outer end of the said lining 12.

The manner of employing my invention thus described is obvious and briefly stated is as follows: The operator or harness-maker will during the season for oiling harnessordinarily leave the lid 11 open in its incline position and resting upon the braces 22. The metallic lid-lining 12 is then so adjusted as to bridge over the space is f-ween the hinged end of the lid and so overhang the adjacent edge of the trough as to conduct all the drip into the oil chamber or receptacle 6. The chamber 7 is kept nearly full of water and the receptacle is constantly provided with a proper quantity of harness-oil 3, preferably a depth of about four inches. The water in the chamber 7 is kept at a proper temperature by any suitable means, preferably by the heat of a lamp, to constantly maintain the oil at the desired temperature, so that itwill at all times be ready for use. The operator now places the harness in the receptacle 6 and by rapidly passing it through the oil gives it a (Not shown.

complete oil-bath, and thus quickly and readily brings every part of the harness, even the parts forming the loops and the parts around the buckles, into contact with the oil. He then suspends the harness upon the books of the upright rack, whereby the lining 12 of the lid will catch all the drip and promptly return it to the oil-chamber. My invention is also particularly convenient for the oiling of leather fly-nets. A harness can thus be thoroughly oiled and dried in lessthan two hours, whereas by the present method it takes all day.

By the use of my invention a farmer can have his harness perfectly oiled and ready for use again while he is doing his trading.

Obviously-either the longitudinal or transverse portion of the dryingrack may be omitted, if desired, without departing from the scope of my invention, though I prefer to employ both sections of the rack, as shown.

When my apparatus is not in use, as, for example, in the midsummer months, the lid can be closed and the tank then used as a 0 table-"for storage of blankets and the like and the rack can be utilized for hanging up various articles.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent is- 5 1. In a harness-oiling apparatus a tank having an open-topped oil-receptacle, a waterchamber about the bottom and sides of the said receptacle, and a lid provided with an adjustable lining as described; means for 1:0 heating the contents of the water-chamber; and an upright drying-rack secured to said tank and arranged in cooperation with the open lid thereof as described.

2. The combination in aharness-oiling ap- 1o5 paratus of a tank having an inner oil receptacle or chamber in which the harness is oiled,,and a water-chamber between the said receptacle and the bottom and sides of the tank, and provided with a lid having an adjustable lining adapted to receive the drip and discharge the same into the oil-chamber; means for heating the water in the waterchamber; and a harness-drying rack adapted to overhang the open lid for the purpose'ns specified.

3..In a harness-oiling apparatus a chainbered tank having an oil-chamber in its central portion inclosed upon its sides and bottom by awater-chamber, as described, and provided with a lid having upon its inner face an adjustable lining adapted to receive the drip and discharge the same into the oil-chamber, all substantially as described.

. Signed by meat Fort Wayne, Allen county, :25 State .of Indiana, this 21st day of July, A. D. 1902.

LEE DARE.- 

